Registan, Bukhara

The Registan Area

Long time ago around the twelfth century this area was used as a scaffold. Here, the criminals were publically executed, so all the square was covered with sand, in order for blood to soak in quickly. That is why its name is Registan – “covered with sand”.
The Registan Area is located to the West from Ark – the previous palace of the Bukharin royalties. It used to be a beating heart of the city. At the ancient times there was a ravine located near the Ark and after some time it has been filled with sand by the locals, living here. That’s where actually the name of the area comes from. As the word “Registan” means “sand”. A lot of organizations were built here – chancery, marketplace, residences, and temples. A famous hospital of Dar ash-Shiff was located here. Sick people from all over the city were getting medicine, healthy food or treatment here. The construction of the hospital looked like a medrese (a school). The future doctors also were studying medicine here. Some patients could get a bed at the clinic.
Until the thirteenth century in the Registan Area were only located administrative buildings and the local palaces, later on, it has been surrounded by market places. In the middle of the area, there were also shops, selling hats, fabrics, guns and armaments. Here in the marketplace you could also find such goods as meat, grains, special crafts, paper and ink, cattle, etc.
In front of the Ark, there was a big marketplace – Bozori Respon. Here you could see the fights and the executions. At the end of it there were shops selling armament, and the office of the main officer of the city.
The only remaining architecture ensemble from the ancient times at the Registan Area is the Bolo-Khauz Ensemble. It contains of a water place, the mosque and five corners Islamic temple. The story says that Emir Shakhmurad built this mosque for praying in public, so he could be closer to his people. The oldest place in this area is the water place – Khauz, it has a name of Bolo-Khauz “Children water place” – one of the very few water places, remaining in Bukhara.